<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>"Are you ready?" by Eurasian_Lynx</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23259211">"Are you ready?"</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Eurasian_Lynx/pseuds/Eurasian_Lynx'>Eurasian_Lynx</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Trinity Blood</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-03-22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-03-22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 03:07:45</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,041</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23259211</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Eurasian_Lynx/pseuds/Eurasian_Lynx</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>"Are you ready, Lilith?"</p><p>"The show's about to start."</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>"Are you ready?"</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/flamewing80/gifts">flamewing80</a>.</li>


        <li>
            Inspired by

            <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/20000164">Divergent Path</a> by <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/flamewing80/pseuds/flamewing80">flamewing80</a>.
        </li>

    </ul><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>"She avoided Abel and would rather not deal with 01 anymore. Every time she returned to Byzantium he hounded her." - Book 1: Divergent Path: rewrite</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It was a moderately busy day.</p><p>It was the middle of the work week, so the majority of people were inside, but there was still plenty of work to be done on the streets. Construction workers made a racket from somewhere down the street. Manual laborers could be seen here and there, moving boxes and rearranging supplies for different projects. Some people were cleaning the streets, though they were few in number. A few were running errands, walking with purpose down the road, occasionally carrying something in their hands as they went on delivery.</p><p>It was a little after the usual lunch hour, so there were a sparse few wandering around for that reason as well. Most had already returned to work, but a few late runners were scattered here and there.</p><p>Lilith herself was intent on an errand, heading back to the palace after returning from the Vatican. The horses had been left on the outskirts of Byzantium to be taken to a stable, tired after their long journey. They would usually ride closer to the palace, but the poor beasts were exhausted after an unexpected heat wave the day before. Lilith had been agreeable to walking the rest of the way in order to give the poor things a much needed break.</p><p>It was a nice day, all in all. The heat wave had passed, and while this didn’t make much difference to her personally, it meant that everyone else was in better spirits, which naturally put her in better spirits. She smiled and nodded to a few people as she passed, even giving a small wave every now and then when she saw someone more familiar.</p><p>The chatter around her buzzed pleasantly, the creaking of wooden wheels, the clattering sounds of construction further off. The clopping of horse’s hooves on stone was always welcome as carts trundled through the street, so nice to hear after all those years without the sound of animal life. The breeze was light and pleasant, tugging gently at her hair. The sun was bright, even if she could no longer feel its warmth.</p><p>The air was almost sour from the smell of human and animal life; especially when compared to the sweet, recycled scent of the air on Mars. It was the best air she had ever breathed, in her opinion. For the first time in her life, it was real, not artificial.</p><p>She was so lost in her own thoughts, she didn’t notice the way the chatter around her slowed to a halt, a feeling of vague fear settling over everyone around her.</p><p>What she did notice, was the all too bright voice that cheerily called out her name.</p><p>“Hiya Lilith! Back already?”</p><p>A heavy weight slammed into her back and a pair of arms wound around her shoulders. The arms hugged her tight enough to cause pain, and then went a little tighter. She stiffened, and the painful squeeze relented after a pointed moment. The arms instead relaxed and slipped upwards to hang loosely around her shoulders, at the perfect point to constrict her neck if they so wished.</p><p>The threat was clear in the way the edges of the crusnik's sleeves brushed against the sides of her neck.</p><p>Lilith slowly turned her gaze to meet a pair of cold blue eyes, shining brightly with excitement which was accented by the wild blond hair surrounding them. She forced her face to be impassive, even as 04 kicked up a nervous buzz beneath her skin and the urge to buck the crusnik off of her coiled in her muscles.</p><p>“Hello… Cain.”</p><p>Those eyes twinkled with amusement as 01 propped his chin on her shoulder, swaying his hips as he rocked from foot to foot like a child, twinkling maliciously up at her with his brightest grin.</p><p>“I thought the meeting with the Vatican was supposed to go on for another week, why’re you back already?”</p><p>Lilith tried to keep walking, but was stopped by the far too strong grip around her shoulders. 01 didn’t squeeze her again, per say, but he kept his arms locked in place, making it so that she couldn't move. They were staying right there unless she decided to fight.</p><p>The thought did occur to her, but... they were in the middle of the street. Although people were shying away from them now, instinctively frightened of 01, they were still far too close for her to cause a fuss.</p><p>She curled her toes in her shoes. After a moment of quivering tension, she forced herself to relax again, accepting the situation for what it was and moving on from there. She could feel 01's fingertips tapping lightly against her shoulder in amusement. He'd noticed.</p><p>She continued to regard him impassively.</p><p>“We anticipated that negotiations would take longer than they did, but things went surprisingly smoothly and we finished ahead of schedule.”</p><p>01 tilted his head like a curious puppy. His hair reminded Lilith of the color of bones.</p><p>“And? What’d you guys agree on?”</p><p>Lilith looked away, raising her gaze to the palace.</p><p>“I’m afraid I can’t say right now. If you want to know, you can sit in on the meeting.”</p><p>01 pouted, dramatically leaning his weight into her with a whine.</p><p>“Aawwww, c’mon! Just one detail? Please?”</p><p>It was Lilith’s turn to not budge. She refused to move even though he would have bowled over a normal human.</p><p>“I’m afraid it’s not a topic for the middle of the street.”</p><p>01 leaned further into her, now forcing her to completely support him.</p><p>“Pleeeaaaase? For me? Just one little detail.”</p><p>She turned back to him.</p><p>“Why do you want to know so badly? You can find out when we get back to the palace.”</p><p>01 shrugged, still leaning on her.</p><p>“I’m curious <i>now.</i> I don’t want to wait.”</p><p>Lilith rolled her eyes, thoroughly aggravated with the frustrating entity by now, and made to walk back to the palace again. 01 let her go this time, dropping his arms. Despite the fact that he had been leaning completely against her, he didn’t fall down as she walked off. Instead, he bounded after her, hot on her heels like an excited dog.</p><p>“You sure you can’t tell me?”</p><p>Lilith refused to look at him as she kept walking.</p><p>“No.”</p><p>01 huffed.</p><p>“So cold. Here I thought we were friends!”</p><p>Lilith didn’t deign him with a response.</p><p>The two walked for a time, Lilith trying to ignore the presence right behind her and 01 bouncing along like the puppy he seemed to resemble.</p><p>The puppy turned out to be a hellhound the moment they rounded a corner that left them alone. The hellhound bayed as he snuck up on his prey.</p><p>“Hey, are you guys excited?”</p><p>Lilith kept walking, not looking at him.</p><p>“Excited?”</p><p>01 trotted up beside her, gesturing widely with his arms as they walked. The hellhound circled the unsuspecting deer.</p><p>“For the big reveal, of course! The game changer, the opening number, the pistol to start the race!”</p><p>The crusnik was giving her a toothy grin. He had moved ahead of her and was now walking backwards so that way she had to look at him. The hellhound displayed all his many teeth as he nipped at the deer's leg, snickering when the deer flinched. Lilith stared him down as they walked. 01 just kept smiling. They were getting closer to the palace now.</p><p>“What are you talking about?”</p><p>The crusnik gave a mock gasp. He was pretending to be shocked and appalled, but the curve of his lips gave him away. Lilith's eyes narrowed.</p><p>“Don’t tell me 04 didn’t tell you! 04! I thought you were trying to <i>help</i> her!”</p><p>01 put his hands on his hips, shaking his head with a melodramatically disappointed look. The nervous buzz coming from 04 ratcheted up a notch.</p><p>01’s grin became derisive.</p><p>“You know, I’m starting to wonder if you <i>really</i> want to help her at all! You say you’re helping her, but then you don’t even warn her about the key plot point!”</p><p>04 seemed genuinely anxious now.</p><p> <i>“04, what is he talking about?”</i></p><p>The female crusnik didn’t respond.</p><p>01 didn’t let that stop him, a manic energy in his step as he began skipping, still going backwards. The hellhound pounced, lunging for the throat.</p><p>“I think, you know what I think? I think that you don’t <i>really</i> want to help her. I think that you just feel <i>guilty</i> for all the horrible things you did in the past, but you don’t <i>really</i> care enough to <i>really</i> help anyone. You’re doing <i>just</i> enough to 'help' so that way you can lie to yourself and pretend you're doing the right thing, but without having to go out of your way and tell her about the hard stuff. Tsk tsk, 04, I expected better of you!”</p><p>04’s anxiety was getting so bad that Lilith was feeling nervous herself. However, even as she prodded her again for an answer, 04 still wouldn’t reply.</p><p>01 shrugged, spinning on his heel to start walking normally again, putting his arm back around Lilith’s shoulders in a companionable manner. The hellhound licked blood off of his chops. The warm, metallic sting danced over his tongue.</p><p>They were nearly to the palace.</p><p>“Oh well, makes my job easier!”</p><p>He pulled Lilith closer, pulling her into a one-armed hug that would have been remarkably friendly and warm if he hadn’t been an omnicidal, hive-mind entity possessing her brother’s body.</p><p>“Welp! You two better go get some rest then! Go talk to Abel, tell him all about what you learned at the Vatican, and get ready! Make sure to eat lots and drink plenty of water, get some good shut-eye and prepare! Maybe have a nice, long bath! You probably won't get one for a while!”</p><p>They had just reached the palace, the guards just coming into earshot as 01 finished talking. Perfectly timed so that she couldn’t reply without her response being heard by others.</p><p>01 gave her another toothy grin, waving jovially.</p><p>“Buh-bye Lilith! Hope your trip went well!”</p><p>The crusnik then darted off, disappearing within seconds as he slipped into the palace and down a corridor. Just like that, he was gone as quickly as he came.</p><p>Lilith nodded to the guards, face stiff and impassive, mind whirling as she tried to process what 01 had said.</p><p>
  <i>“04, please. What was he talking about?”</i>
</p><p>The female crusnik still wouldn’t reply.</p><p>Lilith released the breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding. She hoped that 01 had just been messing with her, trying to freak her out for no real reason other than he could.</p><p>She had a feeling that for once, he was being honest.</p><p>~~~</p><p>
  <i>Several Weeks Later</i>
</p><p>It was early in the morning. The sun was still rising, lightening the sky but not quite over the horizon yet. A few early risers were shuffling about on the streets in the early dawn. More still were inside their homes, lights flickering on as they woke up to go about their business.</p><p>Crouched on a nearby rooftop, a man with wild blond hair clung to a railing, leaning over it with far too much confidence as he eagerly watched the people down below. He kept looking at the horizon, then looking back to the streets. His head was practically on a swivel.</p><p>It was finally time.</p><p>He all but danced in place, wiggling his hips, constantly shifting his footing, shaking his shoulders. He was full of manic energy, blue eyes echoing with a faint red glow as he drove scores into the railing with slowly sharpening nails. The railing creaked ominously under the force of his grip.</p><p>He glanced to the horizon again, his grin far too wide to be human. It revealed far too many teeth.</p><p>So close, just a few moments more.</p><p>He could already see some confusion in the streets below. People were starting to stop. They were looking at themselves, wondering why their skin was starting to sting.</p><p>01 raised a hand, wiggling his fingers with excitement.</p><p>“And here we…”</p><p>The sun crested the horizon.</p><p>The people below screamed as the now active Bacillus began to devour them.</p><p>01 dropped his hand.</p><p>
  <i>”Go.</i>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>A little scene inspired by the quote put in the beginning notes! Also inspired by some of my own thoughts on 04 given how little she actually told Lilith despite her claiming that she wanted to help.</p></blockquote></div></div>
</body>
</html>